NOVEL WEB Chapter 210-216
Chapter 210: The Right to See You (10)
Seeing as Ji Yi didn’t invite him in, He Jichen then looked down again at his phone.
He quickly deleted the sentence he started typing when she didn’t open the door immediately. Then, he started to type a few new words: “May I come in?”
Because it wasn’t a whiteboard, when He Jichen finished typing this, he casually sent it to Ji Yi.
The vibration in her palms brought Ji Yi back to her senses. She looked down at the phone and realized that it really was “He Yuguang” standing at her door. Where were her manners? She hadn’t invited him in yet.
Ji Yi hastily opened the door and said, slightly embarrassed, “Yuguang Ge, my bad. Please come in.”
Ji Yi shut the doors behind “He Yuguang” and was about to hop back to the bedroom when “He Yuguang” looked like he had a sudden thought. He stopped walking, put his phone in his pocket, reached over to lead Ji Yi by the arm, and walked her over to the sofa in the hotel room.
After Ji Yi sat down, she quickly pointed down at the empty space on the sofa. “Yuguang Ge, take a seat too.”
He Jichen gave a gentle nod and put down the two bags in his hands. Then, without any warning, he crouched in front of Ji Yi.
Ji Yi jumped in shock at his sudden movement and instinctively cried, “Yuguang Ge!”
He Jichen was as silent as ever when he reached his hand over and grabbed one of her ankles as if he hadn’t heard what she said.
He glanced down and realized that there were no scars on this slender, fair ankle, so he quickly reached for the other ankle.
When he grabbed the obviously red, swollen ankle, his handsome brows furrowed.
That was when Ji Yi realized “He Yuguang” was checking her injury.
Ji Yi’s heart warmed as she quickly explained, “Yuguang Ge, my ankle is fine now. When I woke up today, it was a lot less painful than yesterday.”
He Jichen glanced up at her and heard what Ji Yi said, but he didn’t let go of her ankle. He looked down and carefully examined all around her ankle. Even though he never studied medicine, he knew basic first aid. After he confirmed that she hadn’t injured her bones or muscles, he finally let go of her ankle. He glanced over at the scrapes on her lower leg, then got up and sat by Ji Yi on the sofa.
Ji Yi, who hadn’t eaten breakfast, was already hungry. She waited for “He Yuguang” to sit before she said, “Yuguang Ge, you haven’t had lunch yet, right? I’ll call to order some food…”
As Ji Yi said this, she grabbed the menu on the coffee table by the sofa and handed it to “He Yuguang.” “Yuguang Ge, take a look at what you want to eat!”
He Jichen took the menu, flipped through it a little, and tapped the “Stir-fried beef with flat rice noodles” twice.
Ji Yi picked up the phone and called the front desk to place her order.
Aside from what “He Yuguang” wanted, she also asked for soup, a cup of coffee, and a plate of fruit for him.
After she put the phone down, she turned to stare directly at one of the bags “He Yuguang” put down on the coffee table.
She wasn’t sure if she was seeing things, but she felt like the expression in “He Yuguang”‘s eyes was complex.
Chapter 211: The Only Person Who Never Forgot About Her (1)
She wasn’t sure if she was seeing things, but she felt like the expression in “He Yuguang”‘s eyes were complex. It was as though he was struggling to decide whether or not to do something.
Ji Yi furrowed her brows in confusion, and just as she was about to inquire about it, “He Yuguang” who hadn’t moved an inch till now, suddenly reached his arm out and dragged over the bag that he had been staring at. Then, he pulled out a gift box, put it onto the coffee table, and pushed it in front of Ji Yi with his fingertips.
Ji Yi stared at the giftbox stunned then looked up at “He Yuguang.”
Even though she didn’t say a word, He Jichen knew, with just one look into her eyes, what she meant. He pulled his phone from his pocket, opened his notes app, and started to type.
When he was done, he stared at the screen for a little while before appearing like he made some kind of decision. He placed the phone on top of the gift box.
As Ji Yi picked up the phone, He Jichen averted his gaze to the window where she couldn’t see his expression.
This new year’s gift was initially supposed to be given to her by He Jichen, but in the end, he gave it to her assuming the identity of the man she loved.
He didn’t actually want to do this, but if he didn’t go through with this, he’d never be able to give her his gift.
So there was nothing to be sad about, right? No matter what, she received something of his in the end – even if she didn’t know the true identity of the person who gave it to her.
The words “He Yuguang” typed were six simple words: “A new year’s gift for you.”
Besides the red envelope she received from her parents on new year’s eve, this was the first gift she received this year.
Ji Yi stared at the words “He Yuguang” typed on the screen as a wave of warmth flowed into her heart. After some time, she returned “He Yuguang”‘s phone and said in a quiet voice, “Yuguang Ge, thank you for the new year’s present.”
He Jichen didn’t type anymore but curved the corners of his lips into a smile which said: “Don’t worry about it.”
The food Ji Yi ordered arrived quickly.
The two of them sat opposite each other as they ate. When Ji Yi was full, she remembered the thought she had when she saw “He Yuguang” at the door: “He Yuguang couldn’t have caught a plane to Lijiang overnight…” What’s more, as soon as he stepped in, he immediately checked her ankle…
For some reason, Ji Yi was certain her suspicions were true. She bit her chopsticks as she stared at the man with his head down eating quietly. After some time, she lowered the chopsticks from her mouth and cried, “Yuguang Ge.”
When He Jichen heard this, he stopped eating and looked up at Ji Yi.
Ji Yi’s fingers held her chopsticks tightly as she asked in a quiet voice, “Yuguang Ge, did you come to Lijiang last night?”
He Jichen seemed shocked like he never imagined Ji Yi would suddenly ask such a thing, but he eventually straightened up and gave a gentle nod.
With this confirmation, Ji Yi’s heart gently trembled for a moment before she asked, “Yuguang Ge, did your plane land about half-past four when you sent that reply?”
He Jichen nodded again.
So, all my suspicions were true…
All of a sudden, Ji Yi’s heart raced.
Last night, on the phone, he heard that her voice sounded odd, and the first thing he did was ask where she was. Then, he sent people to take care of her.
She thought these actions were considerate enough.
She never imagined that after he called her, he rushed over by plane overnight and travelled so far to be by her side…
Chapter 212: The Only Person Who Never Forgot About Her (2)
As that thought flashed across Ji Yi’s mind, her fingers shook as she held her chopsticks, causing her to accidentally flick the food from her plate onto “He Yuguang”‘s plate.
He instinctively looked up from his food towards Ji Yi.
Ji Yi was afraid that “He Yuguang” would catch on to how she felt from the expression on her face, so before his eyes could meet hers, she quickly looked down at the leftover food on her plate.
She tried to look nonchalant as she picked up her food and resumed eating.
He Jichen glanced over at Ji Yi. Seeing as everything was normal, he didn’t pay much attention to what happened. He casually looked away and continued to eat his food.
Ji Yi waited for her roaring heart to calm down slightly then she raised her eyelids and sneaked a peek at “He Yuguang.”
He drank his coffee with a warm expression on his face as though he hadn’t noticed her accident just now.
When Ji Yi’s anxious heart finally settled down, she put her chopsticks down as she was full from the meal. She stared over at “He Yuguang” for two seconds and said in low voice, “Yuguang Ge, I’m actually fine. You really didn’t have to come all this way.”
He Jichen drank his coffee leisurely then put the cup down to grab his phone from the table. His fingers moved a few times then he handed Ji Yi the phone.
After taking the phone, she looked at the three lonely words on the screen: “Worried about you.”
Ji Yi’s fingers trembled for a moment, causing the phone to fall from her hands and crash onto the floor.
In a panic, she hastily picked up her phone and held it tightly as she glanced up at “He Yuguang.” When her eyes met his, she couldn’t help but look away.
His three words were too blunt – they were so blunt that Ji Yi didn’t know how to respond. Her gaze faltered for a moment before she forced herself to regain some composure and she pretended to smile calmly. “Anyway, Yuguang Ge, I still have to thank you. I …”
Mid-speech, Ji Yi suddenly didn’t quite know how to continue. She felt her heart race faster as though it was going to burst out of her chest. She then suddenly caught a glimpse of the bed from the corner of her eye and she thought about how he rushed there overnight, so he probably hadn’t gotten any rest. An idea suddenly came to mind, and she continued by saying, “…I slept for a really long time, so I’ve slept enough. Yuguang Ge, you must’ve not had a good night’s rest, rushing over here last night. Now that you’ve eaten, how about you go freshen up and get some rest?”
He Jichen didn’t refuse Ji Yi’s kind gesture and responded with a soft “Mm.” He picked up the cup of coffee from the table and drank it all before getting up to go to the bathroom.
After freshening up, He Jichen walked out dressed in comfortable clothes. He glanced over at Ji Yi in silence and fell right into bed in exhaustion. He pulled the covers over his body and fell asleep soon after.
Ji Yi didn’t dare watch TV in fear that she’d wake up “He Yuguang” from his sleep, so she simply pulled up “Three Thousand Lunatics” and read it from start to finish.
After staying in the same position while reading for a long time, Ji Yi also felt a little tired.
She put down her phone and rubbed her sore neck. Her eyes involuntarily fell on “He Yuguang” who was deep asleep on the bed.
Chapter 213: The Only Person Who Never Forgot About Her (3)
She hesitated for a moment before her eyes slowly shifted and stopped on his sleeping face.
She never imagined that a low grunt and a few nonchalant words telling him that she sprained her ankle over the phone actually meant a lot to him.
In his presence, she felt precious and treasured, like she was an important person he couldn’t live without.
The expression on Ji Yi’s face didn’t change, but her fingers on the phone slightly tightened their grip. She felt her heart surge again inside.
After some time, Ji Yi withdrew her gaze from “He Yuguang,” and thought back to the new year’s gift he gave her. She put down her phone and very gently started to remove the packaging.
It was an exquisite diamond bracelet.
The sunlight from the tall windows on the first floor happened to hit the bracelet, revealing an eye-piercing shine. The light shone into Ji Yi’s eyes, but it seemed more like it shone right into her heart.
The afternoon sunshine in Lijiang was unusually bright. Ji Yi watched as the sunshine pierced through the wide floor-to-ceiling windows and illuminated the room even more. She was afraid that all that light would affect “He Yuguang”‘s sleep, so she got up and quietly walked over to the windows and pulled the curtains closed.
The filtered sunlight felt better. Ji Yi nestled back onto the sofa and vaguely heard the long, serene sounds of “He Yuguang”‘s breaths.
One breath after another swept into her heart making her body feel tickled and tingly, carrying an indescribable pounding and trembling feeling into her chest.
Just as she was about to grab her phone and continue reading the story of “Three Thousand Lunatics,” Ji Yi’s heart felt flustered again. She stared at the dense black words on the screen for a long time but none of the words got through to her. In the end, she put her phone down and stared at the traditional painting of a woman on the wall in a complete daze.
Ji Yi, who hadn’t had an afternoon break, gradually became sleepy. She nestled into a comfortable position on the sofa and shut her eyes.
When she woke up again, the curtains were already open and the blazing sunlight from the window was bright red from the setting sun. There was also a blanket pulled over her.
Ji Yi was stunned for a moment before she hugged the blanket and slowly sat up straight. “He Yuguang” was no longer on the bed, and there were low, endless tapping sounds of a keyboard in the room. When she heard this, she turned her head and saw “He Yuguang” sitting in front of the computer, typing away on the keyboard at a ridiculous speed. He looked like he was busy with work.
Ji Yi didn’t disturb “He Yuguang”, but searched for her phone and randomly browsed some websites for a while. Then she opened the script for “Three Thousand Lunatics” and picked up where she left off in the afternoon.
After handling his emails, He Jichen reached his hand out for his cup of water and glanced over at Ji Yi laying on the sofa out of habit.
She was sleeping sweetly earlier, but now she was awake, holding her phone, captivated by whatever was on the screen since who knew when.
He noticed there was a brand new diamond bracelet on her fair wrist.
It was the new year’s gift he prepared for her long ago. After she woke up, she put on the bracelet, so his suspicions were right. She would definitely like something He Yuguang gave her…
He Jichen tried to hide the sadness in his eyes.
…
After dinner, He Jichen continued to sit in front of the laptop and work.
Since it was winter break, hotels in Lijiang were full. Since He Jichen arrived on such short notice, he couldn’t book a room.
Ji Yi couldn’t let “He Yuguang” sleep on the streets, but after she was hit by that wave of sleepiness, she stared at the large bed, regretting that she hadn’t booked a twin room.
Chapter 214: The Only Person Who Never Forgot About Her (4)
While He Jichen was busy with work, he glanced over at Ji Yi every now and then. When he felt her gaze shift repeatedly over to himself and the bed, He Jichen’s brows furrowed. He paused for a moment then he realized what was on her mind.
He Jichen glanced at his laptop to see that it was already ten. It was indeed time to get some rest. He grabbed his phone from the desk, typed a message, and sent it to Ji Yi.
Ji Yi noticed her phone vibrate, so she looked down at the screen to see the three words “Yuguang Ge.” She instinctively looked over to the man in front of the computer before she read the message: “Manman, if you’re sleepy, just go to sleep. Tonight I have a lot of work, so you don’t have to worry about me.”
So it turned out he saw through what was on her mind.
But does he really have work to do, or is it just an excuse he used to make me feel more at ease?
Ji Yi stared at the phone screen and after some thought, rather than speaking to “He Yuguang” directly, she replied with a short “Oh” in return.
After Ji Yi freshened up, she climbed into bed.
The main light switch was next to He Jichen. Seeing that she laid down, he casually pressed it, instantly engulfing the entire room in darkness aside from the light emitting from his laptop.
In that very moment, Ji Yi, who was so sleepy she was yawning earlier, shut her eyes but couldn’t sleep at all.
After Ji Yi tossed and turned countless times in bed, she couldn’t help but eventually reach for her phone by the pillow.
After opening her conversation with He Yuguang in WeChat, Ji Yi pursed the corners of her lips and eventually typed, “Yuguang Ge, I’ll leave you half the bed. When you finish working, remember to get some rest.”
Ji Yi stopped for a moment then added a few words: “Don’t take this the wrong way… I mean, I just think it’s not healthy to stay up late.”
After Ji Yi finished writing the message, she shoved her thumb into her mouth and nibbled on her nail. As she bit down, she pressed the send button.
She knew “He Yuguang” would definitely see her message, so she put her phone face-down and shut her eyes.
After about twenty seconds, she vaguely heard the sound of him unlocking his phone, then shortly after, her own phone lit up. She knew that she received a message. She paused for a moment then quietly picked up her phone and glanced at the screen.
“He Yuguang”‘s reply was simple; there was just one word: “Goodnight.”
Ji Yi didn’t reply to “He Yuguang” since she said everything she wanted to, and her heart felt more at peace. She put down the phone, shut her eyes, and not long after, she fell asleep.
The next morning, when Ji Yi woke up, the other half of the bed was empty.
The bed sheets were also neat like no one had slept in them.
Yuguang Ge couldn’t have really been busy working all night long, right?
As that thought entered Ji Yi’s mind, she bolted upright in bed and saw “He Yuguang” laying on the sofa. He had the same blanket from her afternoon nap the day before.
The sofa was a little small, and since he was tall, a big chunk of his legs was suspended in the air.
Just by looking at his posture made her feel like she was in pain. So he…
I purposely gave him permission to share the bed with me after he finished his work, yet he didn’t.
Was it out of respect for me, or was he afraid to disturb me if we slept side by side?
Ji Yi’s fingers suddenly tightened on the covers.
Chapter 215: The Only Person Who Never Forgot About Her (5)
After some time, Ji Yi’s eyelids gently flickered as she relaxed her fingers and looked away from “He Yuguang.”
The first thing Ji Yi looked at when she removed the covers was her sprained ankle. It was still a little swollen, but she tried to stand up. She immediately felt a tinge of pain, so she hastily sat back down. After a while, she tried again and after confirming that she could endure the pain, she headed for the bathroom.
He Jichen was uncomfortable on the sofa, so he woke up not long after Ji Yi did.
After he freshened up, the first thing he did was check if Ji Yi’s ankle improved.
Ji Yi secretly endured the pain in her ankle – in front of “He Yuguang,” she took two nimble steps and said, “Yuguang Ge, I’m fine now.”
Ji Yi was afraid that “He Yuguang” wouldn’t believe her, so after she finished speaking, she even performed a perfect ballet pose.
Ji Yi’s gaze lingered on “He Yuguang”‘s brows. When she came out of her pose, she saw the knot between his brows loosen, so she knew that he believed her. She then gracefully walked over to the phone and ordered breakfast as she let out a sigh of relief with her back turned to “He Yuguang.”
Since “He Yuguang” hadn’t gotten a good night’s rest two nights in a row, his handsome eyes were filled with exhaustion.
After Ji Yi put the phone down, she glanced over at the sofa where he was rubbing his brows non-stop. Then she lowered her gaze and silently pursed her lips. The moment she opened her eyes, she pictured the sleeping man on the sofa. A thought came to mind and she said, “Yuguang Ge, my foot is better now. It’s fine. I can go out and continue strolling around the old town. Since you’re pretty busy with work, please don’t worry about me.”
Ji Yi was afraid that “He Yuguang” would find an excuse to stay, so she added, “I have plans to go Erhai Lake tomorrow, so Yuguang Ge, you should go about your own business.”
He Jichen really did have a load of work to deal with back in Beijing, so seeing as she said this, he didn’t bother arguing with her. As he shot her a gentle nod, he grabbed his phone to check flight times and he booked a ticket for that afternoon.
After the flight was successfully booked, He Jichen passed a message on his phone to Ji Yi: “I booked a flight for twelve in the afternoon.”
After Ji Yi saw that line, He Jichen continued to type: “Since you’re in Lijiang all alone, you have take care of yourself. If anything happen, you can contact me anytime.”
Ji Yi smiled as she responded with, “Thank you Yuguang Ge.”
He Jichen curved his lips, but he didn’t say anything.
Breakfast was quickly delivered. The two of them ate in silence. He Jichen glanced at the time and realized it was already half past nine. It was just about time to leave for the airport, so he got up and started to pack his things.
Ji Yi accompanied He Jichen all the way to the hotel entrance. The taxi, which the front desk requested for him, had already arrived, so the doorman opened the car door for He Jichen. He wasn’t in a hurry to get into the car, so he continued to type a few reminders for Ji Yi then told her “Goodbye” before he bent down and got into the car.
Ji Yi stood to the side as she stared at the car after it left. She quickly bent over to check her ankle which she had convincingly pretended didn’t hurt as she accompanied He Yuguang downstairs. When she confirmed it was fine, she turned around and limped back into the hotel.
Chapter 216: The Only Person Who Never Forgot About Her (6)
Even though “He Yuguang” appeared for just one night and day, Ji Yi still felt empty inside as she stepped into the elevator.
She actually didn’t want to let him go. In this world, there was nobody who didn’t want to be with a person who was incredibly considerate and treated them incredibly well.
But she couldn’t let him suffer or trouble him by making him stay in Lijiang with her, right?
Most importantly, she had been forcing herself to put some distance between them. If it wasn’t for what happened with Lin Ya, if she hadn’t twisted her ankle, and if he hadn’t rushed there overnight, the two of them wouldn’t have spent a whole day and night alone together…
She wasn’t stupid; she clearly felt herself fall irresistibly harder for him in just one day and night.
The confused feelings she felt for him were far stronger than when she was younger.
She was really afraid – afraid that she would lose control and fall in love with him without a second thought, so she pretended like her foot was fine to allow him to leave without worrying.
Yes… Fall in love.
No matter how she felt about him when she was young, now that she thought back on it, it was just puppy-love.
But now, the feeling she had deep down inside was true love.
The way she felt about him was completely different from the past.
It was the same person, and it was just four years difference, so how could her feelings be so drastically different?
Ji Yi slightly furrowed her brows. Having not recovered from her confusion and bewilderment, her heart was engulfed by sadness and frustration.
If only he wasn’t He Jichen’s older brother, how great would that be… She wouldn’t need to worry so much – if she loved him, she could do it openly…
Four years ago, she couldn’t ignore the mistake she and He Jichen made that night, and it stopped her from following her heart with He Yuguang.
When the elevator doors opened, Ji Yi stood there foolishly for a while before she came out.
She didn’t know how she made her way to the door of her hotel room, nor how she managed to swipe her room key to open the door… in brief, when she snapped back to her senses, she was sitting on the sofa in a daze.
Had He Yuguang not appeared, she wouldn’t feel this lonely travelling by herself. Now, in the hotel room, whenever she looked over at the desk, she would remember how he worked there last night. When she looked over at the sofa, she would remember that he slept there before. When she looked at the bracelet on her wrist, she would remember that he gave it to her… Ji Yi’s mood became instantly gloomy.
Ji Yi’s ankle wasn’t better yet, so she couldn’t go out. Instead, she hugged a pillow comfortably on the sofa while watching television.
It looked like she was watching TV, but she actually didn’t know what was on. It was only when housekeeping came in to help her clean up that she realized she’d been watching the shopping channel for half the day.
She hastily grabbed the remote control, changed the channel, then stared straight at the television.
The housekeeper cleaned up very carefully, quietly, never disturbing Ji Yi.
After the housekeeper replaced the bed sheets, she walked into the bathroom. She was busy working inside for about ten minutes before she suddenly came out. “Miss, is this yours? I found this on the tissue box in the bathroom.”
Ji Yi turned her head when she heard the housekeeper.
“This looks pretty expensive,” continued the housekeeper as she handed the object in their hand over to Ji Yi.